Celebrity Spouses Who Don't Live Together

Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker have a rep for being a PDA-heavy couple, so it's surprising they have all this time and space for lip-locking when they don't even live together. On October 4, the Poosh founder appeared on the "Not Skinny But Not Fat" podcast to explain that the couple is currently living separately in a bid to prioritize their children. "I think we're in the place where we're figuring out how to blend our households and our kids," Kardashian shared. "We want our kids to also feel really comfortable, and they have both lived in their homes their whole lives ... and they each have their rooms."

But Barker and Kardashian aren't stressing their lack of a shared roof, as they do plan to move in together eventually. "With three children of my own, plus Kourtney's kids, this place felt right for this moment of my life," Barker told Architectural Digest in May. "Right now, I'm just planning to convert my home studio into a bunk room so her kids are comfortable here. In the future, I suppose we'll wait to find something better than what we have." It's a modern take on co-parenting but it's not unique for celebrity spouses to live in separate places. Though married couples typically choose to reside together, Hollywood is known for bucking the norm — and some A-listers, like Gillian Anderson, have even said that living separately is better for their relationships. Is it true that absence makes the heart grow fonder?

"Kravis" might be the buzziest couple living under different roofs, but they're far from the only one to do so. Supermodel Ashley Graham and her husband Justin Ervin married in 2009, and have maintained a long distance relationship ever since. According to Entertainment Tonight, Graham lives in the Big Apple, while Ervin calls sunny L.A. his home. Even so, separate coasts seem to suit the couple. "We have a rule. We don't go longer than two weeks without seeing each other," Graham told the outlet in 2016.

Per The Sunday Times, Goop founder Gwyneth Paltrow also lived apart from her husband, Brad Falchuk, for a while, though the couple has since moved in together. Like Kravis, Paltrow initially chose the unconventional living arrangement for the sake of the pair's children. "We each have two teenage children whom we love very much ... we were just trying to be mindful and give them a little space and not move too quickly," she told Jimmy Kimmel.

Actor Nico Tortorella and entrepreneur Bethany Meyers also have a famously non-traditional relationship, perhaps the least surprising of which is they don't live together. Despite dating on-and-off for 12 years before tying the knot, the two — who both identify as non-binary — live in separate houses. "We still don't live together," Tortorella told People in 2018. "We see each other on a weekly basis. We're FaceTiming all day, every day."

While some couples prefer different zip codes, others live under one roof, with some caveats. Take Helena Bonham-Carter and Tim Burton! Due to Burton's snoring and unusual sleep patterns, he and Bonham-Carter lived on separate sides of a conjoined property throughout their relationship. "We see as much of each other as any couple, but our relationship is enhanced by knowing we have our personal space to retreat to," the "Harry Potter" star told Britain's Radio Times in 2010 (via The Telegraph).

Victoria and David Beckham also follow this approach. While the soccer star and fashion designer don't live in separate houses, they have "his and hers" wings built into their Oxfordshire mansion, according to Us Weekly. The arrangement works because David often "does his own thing," while Victoria works on her fashion line and "doesn't want stress." As one source told the publication, "I think they quite like having somewhat separate lives. When you've been married that long, some regular distance does you both good!"

Like the Beckhams, Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker have been married for decades — and the secret to their success might be separate sleeping quarters. In 2016, Radar Online reported that the couple had decided to try a technique called "conscious coupling," which involved living in adjoining NYC townhouses. "They'll be tearing down a wall ... to make a mega mansion, but it's definitely one side for her and the other for him," a source revealed.

A-listers from Victoria Beckham to Ashley Graham have proven a little distance in a marriage can be a good thing. But for some, too much of a good thing can even be their downfall. For example, actor Kaley Cuoco and her then-husband Karl Cook split up after they had moved in together. Previously, the "Flight Attendant" star was outspoken about their unconventional marriage, in which both parties prioritized space and distance. "We have different locations that we're at a lot," she told E! News. "You know, we're not together every single day and I think, personally, it's important, it works well for us." In 2020, People reported that Cuoco and Cook had finally moved in together, two years after they said "I do."

At the time, Cuoco shared her excitement via Instagram Stories for a night in with her "new house, rain, movie night, wheat thins, husband cooking, pupping [and] cocktail." But by September 2021, Cuoco and Cook had broken up. Could it be that living together just didn't work for them? Cuoco told Variety that the period following the divorce was "a super dark time" for her. Thankfully, she has since bounced back, and is currently dating "Ozark" star Tom Pelphrey. The pair isn't yet living together, and perhaps that's for the best. If there's one thing to be learned from these stars, it's that a mortgage or a lease doesn't guarantee a happily ever after.